…lauded for contributions to society through the power of his pen
THE greatest assets of veteran journalist, 67-year-old Assistant Editor of Chronicle, Mohamed Zaman Ali, was his facility for imparting knowledge through the power of his pen, and through enduring discussions during heated debates; as well as his great talent for story-telling. This was revealed through anecdotal stories told by friends and family members during his funeral, yesterday, at the home of his brother, Al Haj Mohamed Osman Ali, father of Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali.
Former Minister of Social Services, Ms Bibi Shadick, said that funeral should be a celebration of the life of the deceased. She reflected that angels write the allotted time on earth of every person, so everyone should live their lives as though each day is their last, because no death is untimely and the call to the hereafter could be unexpected.
Imam Feroze, of the Leonora Jamaat, reiterated the comments of Ms Shadick, and called upon the society to live their lives well, without judging others, because God is the ultimate judge.
Other Imams underlined the message of Prophet Mohamed, whose strictures warned that a good human is one whose deeds are most beneficial to mankind.
In this vein, the Ali family, spanning generations, were praised for their virtuous deeds, with examples of MZ, who catalyzed changes in the society and helped to shape the landscape of the country through the power of his pen, and his brother Al Haj M.O. Ali, who contributes much to society, especially within the jamaat to which he belongs.
The younger generation of Alis were praised for having imbibed these good principles, with Minister Irfaan Ali being a primary example. According to the Iman of the Leguan Masjid, the Ali family encompasses all that reflects good human beings, because their sharing of resources and time, and their overall good deeds are extended to the wider human family and not confined merely to members of the Muslim community.
Dr. Prem Misir, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information while M.Z. was GIS head, reminisced on days when they were both without their respective families in Guyana and he (Dr. Misir) was unfamiliar with the social landscape of Guyana.  He related that MZ provided him with companionship during those days.  According to Dr. Misir, MZ represented journalism at a high level, which was a journalism based on facts and truth; unlike the journalism prevailing today, which is a journalism of allegations. He described MZ as a ‘charming fellow’ with whom he remained close and maintained a relationship, with MZ like his ‘big brother.’
The Imam of Maryville reflected upon the close family ties that bind the Ali family together. He said that their bonds were based on respect and love for each other, and living in harmony and unity with each other.
Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Minister of Labour, who extended condolences on behalf of the government, recollected the dark days of the 70s and 80s and the fight for the restoration of democracy in Guyana, in which MZ played an integral role and exposed himself to the dark forces through his writing capabilities, by way of which he played an essential part in a very significant way.
He reminisced on the days when himself, MZ, political veteran and first PPP/C Home Affairs Minister, Feroze Mohamed, former AG and Minister of Legal Affairs, Charles (Bonny) Ramson, and many others would sit in backyards to discuss issues of paramount national importance. Throughout it all, Dr. Gopaul related that MZ always remained calm and unruffled.  MZ, he remembered, was a principled individual who was full of life.
Minister Irfaan Ali had earlier, in reminiscing on days when his uncle would engage him in discussions, often heated and confrontational, explained that his uncle was his harshest critic, because he tolerated nothing less than perfection.  This characteristic of MZ helped to shape his own identity, revealed the Housing Minister, who ascribes his single-minded focus on his own responsibilities in national development imperatives to the influences of his parents and his uncle.
A little-known facet of MZ was his love for cooking, and Minister Irfaan Ali recalled the fun times shared together as they competed in preparing traditional and non-traditional dishes, often experimenting with new recipes together.
MZ also shared this love of cooking with his eldest son, Mark, who recalled days when he wanted to go off with his friends, but was instead constrained by his father to share cooking duties.  He, however, later began to appreciate those quality moments shared with his father, when they conversed as they prepared for the family.
MZ is the product of a family that had outstanding political acumen, with his mother having been a great contributor to Guyana’s freedom fight as a very active member of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO).
This catalysed his own interest in political activism and he joined the People’s Progressive Party’s youth arm, the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) at a very tender age.  His facility for writing diverted his energies toward another avenue of struggle, which is as a journalist at the Mirror newspaper, where he played a dynamic, in his own quiet way, in the fight for the restoration of democracy and a free press in Guyana.  He continued this fight even after he had joined the media corps in Suriname.
After the i992 elections, MZ returned to Guyana to help in the Herculean task of rebuilding Guyana from the destruction of prior years.  He was assigned to work as Director of the Guyana Information Services (GIS).
Chronicle’s Editor-in-Chief, Mark Ramotar, who was instrumental in securing employment for MZ at Chronicle, said that he worked under MZ as a junior reporter in GIS and owes a lot to the guidance of the veteran journalist, who mentored many of the young reporters that came within his ambit as head of the agency. They remained friends over the years and Ramotar recalled fun times shared with his former boss who, ironically, worked in reverse position with Ramotar until his passing last Tuesday.
During the several nights in which wake was held at Al Haj Mohamed Osman’s home in Leonora, many persons, including His Excellency Donald Ramotar and former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo paid tribute to MZ.
MZ leaves to mourn, apart from his extended family, his four children, sons Mark and Yuri, and daughters Rockielle and Nicole.